


Science vs Love

by respoftw



Series: Tumblr Prompts - McShep edition [15]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 18:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8068906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: John hadn't meant to see the letter - but he really wishes Rodney would just rip the damn band aid off and put him out of his misery.





	

John hadn't meant to see the letter, hadn't _chosen_ to have the bottom fall out of his stomach, but it had been lying there, bold as brass, on top of a stack of physics journal and underneath the car keys he had jogged back in to Rodney's apartment in Colorado Springs to retrieve.

A couple of key words or phrases had jumped out at him; _Nobel, grant, job opportunity, total ownership of results_ ; enough for him to shake off any notion of maintaining Rodney's privacy and read the whole thing.

_God, he wished he hadn't._

John was silent as they drove to the restaurant; Rodney filled the car with inconsequential noise, ranting about the day of briefings and the stupidity of the SGC. Nothing that would require any conversational input from John.

The restaurant they pulled up in front of was nice. Not that John would ever be visiting again - why would he want to visit the place that his heart was ripped out - but it was nice to know that he was important enough to rate somewhere nicer than a Denny's.

John nibbled on the olive oil covered bread as Rodney made it crystal clear to the well trained waiter just how imperative it was that no citrus came within a foot of their meal. John knew the speech by heart, had even given it himself a time or two, always enjoying the way Rodney's eyes would get a little wide with surprise and fondness, like he hadn't ever imagined anyone caring enough to terrorise waiting staff. John would miss that speech.

John would miss all of it.

He ordered a whisky with his water, shrugging off Rodney's questioning eyebrow with a wry smile. He wasn't going to make it any easier for him. It might have been petty of him but he was preparing himself to be the supportive, understanding ex-boyfriend, he was due a little pettiness.

"What's with you tonight?" Rodney asked. "The meetings with the IOA went ok, right? They're not doing something stupid like talking about changing the command structure again are they?"

Not yet, John thought. He wondered if the IOA knew about Rodney's plans. He hoped, at least, that he would be the first to be told. "It was fine," John answered. "I'm just tired. 'Gate lag."

Rodney scoffed at that, just like John knew he would. Their drinks came then, not a lemon wedge in sight, John noticed. It was funny but he almost wished they'd messed up. He'd get to see the full, apoplectic McKay rant one more time. He knocked the glass of Dalwhinnie back with a grimace, signalling for another with a tap of his glass.

"I'm not buying it," Rodney accused. "There's something wrong. What is it? Is it the DADT thing? Because you know that they're not allowed to discriminate anymore and if anyone is giving you a hard time about this then you need to - -"

"Jesus, Rodney, it's not that. It's", John pushed the second glass of whisky away from him and sighed, "nothing. I really am just tired."

Rodney looked at him for a long moment, searching and dissecting him like a subject sample before finally nodding and relaxing.

"We could just go back to the apartment," he suggested. "If you're not up for this then -"

John shook his head. "I'm good. Hungry."

Rodney seemed much more convinced by that argument, dropping the subject and taking up the narrative about the highly invasive medical exam he had been subjected to by that vampire Lam when they had arrived earlier.

John made sure to make all the appropriate noises at all the appropriate times.

Their meal came and every scrape of cutlery against the fine china felt like a scrape on his nerves. How long was he going to drag this out?

Rodney moaned around a mouthful of prime steak and John snapped, the realisation that he would never hear those moans again hitting him like an IED.

" _Just_ ," John realised he was too close to shouting by the way Rodney's head snapped up instinctively - like he was ready to drop everything and run from the natives on John's word - and sat back in his chair, lowering his voice to a more reasonable level. "Just, please rip the damn band aid off Rodney. I'm begging you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rodney asked. "Seriously, you've been in a mood all night."

John sighed. "I saw the letter," he said quietly, watching Rodney's eyes widen in understanding. "The one from the Swiss lab. Just, I get it Rodney. I'm happy for you. But - -"

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" Rodney interrupted. "I turned the job down, you idiot."

"You - what?" John was sure his misheard. "But there was a guaranteed Nobel, you would be able to publish, it was everything you ever complain about not having."

Rodney's face went through a complicated series of emotions, finally landing on a soft smile. "It didn't have _you_ though."

John opened his mouth and closed it again, biting down on whatever he was planning on saying. "I'm, yeah, I'm sometimes dumb," he finally settled on.

"Well, lucky for you, you're also amazingly good in bed."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure but you're welcome to remind me later," Rodney grinned.

"No, are you _sure_? The job."

Rodney reached across the table and grabbed at John's hand. John felt the still new thrill run through him that they could do this in public.

"My work is important to me," he said, "but nothing is more important than you. Work is something that I do and you, well, you're something that I do too but - -"

"Rodney," John laughed.

"If you keep asking me I really am going to have rethink this. I love you, ok. You're more important than a Nobel."

Rodney took a big gulp of his beer at the admission and John smiled. "You ok there, buddy?"

"I'm not saying it again so let's just get the damn bill and let me take you to bed, OK?"

"Deal."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous prompt on my [Tumblr](http://buffycuddlespigs.tumblr.com)  
> Hi, I have a prompt for a story if you still take them: I see that often in TV shows that one part of a relationship dumps the other for a job. So, after returning to earth either McKay or Shep gets the job offer of their life (like something they really, really, really wanted to do for a very long time) but they have to decide between job or love... and they chose love ("Yes, it's the perfect job, but it's just a job. You are more important than that to me.")


End file.
